Hear, hear ! Andie.
Your discussion clarifies a lot for me.
Watson's central dogma is "no inheritance of acquired charaterisics " ? No LaMarckianism ?
^^^^^^^^
andie nachgeborenen
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_Of course_ science, which is just the practice of scientists, is loaded chock full with prejudices, that is, views held without reflection because they are indoctrinated into scientists in college, grad school, and professional life, views which are not considered open to rational debate because anyone professing the contrary is simply dismissed as a crank or a nut or an ignoramus.
CB: Yes, I've been calling them "a posteriori presumptions". "Presumption" here is, as in law, rebuttable, but not easily.
However, most scientists don't do all the actual practice ( experiment and industry) ,have all the experiences (a posteriori as opposed to a priori) that underlie the dogmas/presumptions. They rely on reports from earlier scientists who carry out the direct testing practice.
Yet, this is the human way: receiving communications from other humans not acting alone. We are highly social beings, not Robinson Crusoes. In this regard, science merely acts as humans have always acted. Newton stood on the shoulders of giants, and humans have always stood on the shoulders of their ancestors. The bee explained to the spider about making sweetness and light: honey dogma.